What it takes to be a Hero
by ToaArcan
Summary: When some new information regarding her grim background comes to light, Fiona Fox faces a difficult choice: Fulfill her dream of becoming a Freedom Fighter, or remain loyal to her mother figure, Nic.


What it takes to be a hero.

A small fortune's worth of gold, jewels, and other valuables clattered out of two bags, the owners shaking them to coax the last few coins out onto the table in the musty light of their hideout.

"Heh, not a bad haul." The first of them said. She was a Mobian weasel, with purple fur, a white, pointed muzzle, and a small fang sticking out of her mouth. She had her hair tied back, and was wearing a brown bodysuit, boots, and stetson, had a belt of knives around her waist, a machete hanging off of her hip, and a rifle slung over her back.

"Yeah, it's been getting easier, lately." The second said. She was a vixen, with orange-red fur, cream inner ears, muzzle, tail-tip, and front, and auburn hair. Like her companion, she wore a bodysuit and matching boots, but hers were yellow and white. She was missing the hat, but had, curiously, a yellow bow tied in her hair. She was armed with two handguns, another belt of knives, and a medical kit. Whereas the weasel was a young woman, the vixen was little more than a girl. She couldn't have been older than fourteen.

"Something the matter, Fi?" The weasel asked. Something about the way her younger companion spoke seemed off to her. Normally, this would be cause for celebration, but she seemed quiet and reserved.  
"I dunno, Nic." She sighed, flopping down onto the couch. "I just... I... I mean, do you ever get the feeling that we're doing the right thing?"

"Well, we're doing what's right for us." Nic shrugged, sitting down opposite her. "I mean, it's not like those crusty dead guys need this stuff. They won't mind if we take it, because, ya know, they're dead."  
"And crusty?" Fiona asked, raising her eyebrow with small grin.  
"Exactly!" The weasel chuckled, before she noticed her partner's face fall. "Well, what's the problem? Come on, tell me."  
"How long has it been since you found me?"  
"About... a year or two. Maybe three." Nic replied. "Why?"  
"I was in that prison for five years, right?"  
"Yeah?"

"Except... I don't think I was." Fiona said. "I did some research, and it looks like the camp was closed after the breakout attempt."  
"But I found you in the prison!"  
"You found me in a different prison."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense, I guess."  
"Yeah, the breakout thing happened, I got caught, and since I was still too young and weak to make a good worker Robian, I was used for experiments instead."  
"Hun, you've told me that before."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Fiona shrugged, standing up again, and walking over to the table. "It got me thinking, though."  
"About what?"  
"Well... What if I was only stuck there with no rescue because Sonic and his friends didn't know where to look?"  
"Well, it would mean that he's not a prick. And it would also mean that the raging hatred you've been carrying for him since then would entirely unjustified... That's what's bothering you, isn't it?"

"Yeah... I mean, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a soldier, like my Dad. When Robotnik took over, I wanted to be a Freedom Fighter, like Sonic. And I only wanted that more when I met him." Fiona sighed. "For ages, I felt like I couldn't sign up to fight the good fight, just because it meant being one of his troops, and I couldn't stand him. But now, I can't shake the feeling that I was wrong."

Nic paused for a moment. It was easy to see where this was going- it would've been painfully obvious to even the most short-sighted individual. And yet, she pleaded internally that she was mistaken.

"You want to be a Freedom Fighter again, don't you?"

"Yeah..." Fiona nodded slowly, before she suddenly brightened up. "Hey you can come with me! It'll be great, we we'll have regular meals, sane friends, a roof over our head that doesn't leak, proper medical care, and hey, we can even exchange musty, death-trap-riddled-temple-raids for smoggy, death-trap-riddled-base-raids!"

Nic chuckled at her friend's dry wit, but shook her head sadly.  
"Fi, I would go with you in a heartbeat. But I can't."  
"Oh..." Fiona stopped smiling. "Why?"

"Before I met you... and even after I did, on a few occasions when you weren't well, or you were too young, I may have been hired by various unsavoury people to kill one or more Freedom Fighters and their allies. I also tried to collect a few bounties on them during Robotnik's reign." She admitted. "I'm not proud of that, but I did. At the time, I was only thinking of myself. I had to make the best of a shit situation, and the easiest way was to attempt hits on the guys opposed to the regime. It was better than gettin' turned into a bot, after all. Then you came along, and suddenly, I had to look after more than one person. It wasn't just about me anymore. At first, that made me worse. I got desperate, took anything that would pay high enough to provide for you, especially during those first few months when you were still recovering from the prisons, and you were sick all the time. But once I realised how much you'd suffered because of people like them, I swore it off, turned my attention to stealing from tombs and temples instead, only took bounties if they deserved it, and the client wasn't a giant asshole."

"So, suffice to say, you're not on their good side..."  
"Yeah, they'll arrest me on sight."  
"I see... Oh well, nevermind. I probably wouldn't have made the cut anyway."  
"Oh Fi..." Nic stood up, and hugged her charge. "Don't let me hold you back."  
"But you've been like a mother to me, I can't leave you!"

"Fiona, part of being a mother is making sure that your children don't waste their lives." Nic smiled faintly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You'd make a fantastic Freedom Fighter. You've got the skills, the brains, the heart, everything. Most importantly, you've got the drive and the ambition. It's what you want to do, and it'll be a far better life than this. What kind of mother would I be if I stopped you from chasing your dreams?"  
"But don't you need me here?"  
"I taught you everything you know, and if I do need help... well, you'll only be a phone call away. Plus, I can always visit you in secret, and I can start doing some good with my life, maybe win some approval, and then I'll be able to join you."  
"Good idea! Wait, why don't I just stay and help you with that, and then we can join up together?"  
"Oh, that's pretty good!" Nic grinned, then paused. "But I think I might need you to be already there to help with that."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, if you've won their trust, then they might listen to you when you ask them to let me in."  
"Oh, right..."  
"Plus, if they don't take a liking to me, you'll be screwed by association."  
"Yeah..." Fiona sighed, sitting down again. "I guess... I guess this is it, then?"

"Looks that way." Nic nodded, sitting down beside her. Tears were flowing freely down the vixen's cheeks now, and the weasel pulled her into a warm hug. Her tail wrapped around Fiona's waist, and she tucked her charge's head under her own. "Ssshhh... It's okay, baby girl."  
"I thought I told you not to call me that..."  
"You're my little girl, I can call you that if I like."

Fiona didn't protest anymore, and just huddled into Nic's arms. The older girl ran her fingers through her partner's hair, holding her tightly. She turned and kissed her forehead, then laid back, pulling a blanket over them both.

"Love you, Fi."  
"Love you too, Nic."

***

A few days later..

"For a full-sized city, this place is rather hard to find..." Fiona complained to no-one in particular. She was now in the depths of the Great Forest, having made her way over the land via a hoverbike, which she had bought with the "allowance" that Nic had given her from their earnings. It was capable of amazing speeds, but currently, she found herself coasting slowly along, so as to not ram into a tree or miss any hint of her destination. "Maybe if I get a better vantage point..."

She parked her bike beside the tallest tree she could find, and turned off the engine, pocketing the key. She hopped off, removed her gloves, and dug her claws into the bark, scrambling up the trunk. Poking her head up through the leaves, she scanned the area, searching for any sign of Knothole.

"Hey gahs, there's a hoverbike just sittin' here, no key in it." A voice echoed up from below. "Think Tails might want it?"

Fiona stopped looking, and relaxed her grip slightly, allowing herself to scrape down the side of the tree, letting go when she was about ten feet from the ground, and pushing off from it, flipping over and landing beside the bike. Standing beside it was a sandy-furred rabbit with long, curly hair. She wore a purple top, brown coat and stetson, and, most distinctively, her legs and left arm were mechanical. She looked straight at the vixen, raising her eyebrow.

"Ah take it this is yours?"  
"Uh, yeah." Fiona said, standing upright, and holding up the key.  
"Who are ya?"  
"Um, I'm Fiona Fox. I'm looking for Knothole, but I'm kinda sorta hopelessly lost."  
"What's a girl with the fastest hoverbike on the market, a load o' knives, and a coupla guns doin' lookin' for Knothole?"  
"I want to be a Freedom Fighter." She replied. "The knives and stuff, well, um, I used to be a bounty hunter, but I didn't take any jobs against you guys. I only go for the sort of people you fight already."  
"How old are ya?"  
"Fourteen, ma'am."  
"And how old are ya actually?"  
"I _am_ fourteen. I thought growing up fast and being impossibly young for our skillsets was a job requirement."  
"You got a lot o' knowledge on the topic... How come ya know so much?"

"I know Sonic the Hedgehog. Well, I met him. When I was nine, and he was eleven. I was in that prison he liberated, but I got caught, and moved to another facility."  
"Wait, you're the one Sugah-Hog led us on a wahld-goose-chase to fahnd?"  
'_So he _did_try to save me..._' She mused. "Yeah, that's me."  
"Ah knew that name sounded familiar..." The cyborg smiled. "Bunnie Rabbot, Freedom Fighter, at yer service."

"Nice to meet you." Fiona returned the smile, relaxing and leaning against the bike. "Who were you talking to?"  
"Com-bead." She pointed to one of her oversized ears. "Hang on a sec- Yeah, scratch that, Sally-Gal. The owner was in the tree, lookin' for Knothole. She wants to join us, and you'll never believe this: It's the gal that Sonic wanted to save after his mission with Mighty. We'll be right along."  
"Well then." Fiona grinned, straddling her bike and starting the engine. "Lead on."

Bunnie nodded, and jumped into the air, engines in her feet igniting, carrying her deeper into the woods. Fiona followed closely, weaving between the trees.

"So, what sort of name is Tails?"  
"You'll find that most of us use nicknames. Tails got his because he's, well, got two tails."  
"Oh, he's the one that flies, right?"  
"Yup."  
"How does that even work?"  
"We don't know. Even he don't know, and the kid broke the IQ scale."  
"Wow."  
"Ah think you'll like him. He's got maturity and wisdom beyond his years, youngest Freedom Fighter to ever qualify for field duty. He was a fully-fledged Freedom Fighter by the age o' nine. Even Sonic was only formally sworn-in at eleven. Most of us followed soon after."  
"That's incredible."  
"Yeah. Ah wasn't much of a fighter until Ah got stuck in a Roboticizer for a few too many moments. Since then... well, Ah've had to have mah original parts replaced with wholly mechanical ones. Ah'm never gonna be wholly organic again, but ya gotta make the best o' these things."  
"I'm so sorry about that."  
"Don't worry yerself, it was better than dyin'."  
"So, how do I get in?"  
"Well, first ya have a private interview with the boss. Then, if she thinks yer good enough, ya have to demonstrate what ya can do, so we can judge whether you need some extra trainin'. After that, yer either a trainee, on the fast-track to bein' a Freedom Fighter, or yer already there."  
"What if the boss doesn't like me?"  
"Well, Ah don't know."

***

Fiona sat on a leather chair in a waiting room, outside the office of the leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. She was getting rather tense, tapping her foot while the Princess dealt with someone else. The door to the office opened, and Sonic himself stepped out, turning back to look into the office.

"Love ya, Sal." He grinned.  
"I love you too, Sonic." A voice echoed back. He grinned, closing the door, and then spotted Fiona.

"No way..." He said, "Fiona?"  
"Hi Sonic."  
"I'd heard from Mighty that you were alive, but you weren't the happiest with us."  
"Yeah, I thought I'd been taken back into the same prison, except I was actually sent somewhere else. I couldn't understand why you didn't come back for me, and I got really angry with you."  
"We did try to find you, but the whole place was empty."  
"I know, Bunnie told me."  
"Cool."  
"Yeah, once I worked out that I wasn't in the same place, I wasn't mad anymore. I felt kinda guilty for hating you and Mighty so much, and I decided to join up."  
"Well, good luck, Fi."  
"Thanks. Also, dating the Princess, are we?"  
"Heh, yeah."  
"Congratulations."  
"Thanks. Anyway, gotta dash."  
"See you later, I hope."  
"Sure thing."

Sonic sped off, leaving Fiona alone in her thoughts, when, in a flash of green, a Mobian lynx, clad in a purple toga, appeared in front of her. She seemed to be a little transparent, and her eyes glowed brightly, while she hovered a few inches above the ground.

"Princess Sally will see you now." She said. Fiona nodded, and stood up, slightly unnerved, before stepping into the office. Sitting at the desk at the other end was a young squirrel woman, red her cresting her shoulders, sharp blue eyes watching her carefully, trying to read her.

"Hello, Miss Fox." She said. "My name is Sally Alicia Acorn, Princess of the Acorn Kingdom, and Commander of the Knothole Freedom Fighters."  
"Fiona Indigo Fox, at your service, Ma'am."  
"Just call me Sally." She said. "I'm not one for formalities."  
"Alright, Sally." She nodded, walking cautiously towards the desk.  
"Have a seat."

Nervously, she sat down opposite Sally, back ramrod straight, hands tensely clasping her knees.  
"You're spooked. Did Nicole surprise you?"  
"Yeah... How does she do that?"  
"She was roboticized as a child, and had her processor extracted and turned into a computer. She communicates with us through holograms now, and she mainly works as my assistant. Of course, being a program, she finds it much more convenient to project herself into a room than walk there."  
"Oh, I see..."  
"Yes, it was quite the shock when we learned that." She went on, picking up a notepad and beginning to scribble something in it.  
"What's that?"  
"I'm noting down what you say, so I can come back to it later. Is that a problem?"  
"No, not at all!"  
"Good!" She smiled. Sally was tall for a Mobian of her age, and quite imposing to the younger girl. While her dress sense was not what would be expected of a Princess- she wore only an open blue jacket and combat boots in the same colour- she still carried herself with an air of regality. If anything, it was more impressive that she could pull that off with her chest on show.

"Sonic told me about you. He said that you are clever, determined and tenacious. From the backpack, I can see that you have medical skills, and you're carrying weapons, so hopefully, you can use them."  
"I can." She confirmed quickly.  
"Good." Sally smiled. "Unfortunately, what I've heard from Mighty isn't so good." She paused, watching to gauge Fiona's reaction, but since she was already half-panicked, there wasn't much to change. "He says that you're a criminal, and a member of Nic the Weasel's gang. Now, I can see why you might want to lie or keep that a secret, but I can't have any secrets between myself and my team-mates. If you want to keep it from the others, fine, that's your choice. But I need to know."  
"It's a long story..."  
"We've got time."

Fiona took a deep breath, and started.

"Nic got hired to raid the camp where I was imprisoned, and she found me, wasting away in one of the dungeons. She took pity on me, and rescued me. She took me home, and started trying to nurse me back to health. At first, she started crossing even more lines, since she was getting desperate to help me, but eventually, she realised that I was in that state because of people like Robotnik. So she changed her tune, and while she felt she was too far down the criminal path to turn back, she decided not to hurt any more people, and only raid old temples and tombs. I was ill for a long time afterwards, having not had real food and medical care for years and such, so she spent a lot of time babying me. When I recovered, though, she started to train me as her apprentice. She taught me everything I know about fighting, and helped me form my moral code, though I think I was really the one keeping her away from the really dark stuff. She was... she was the closest thing I had to a mother."

"I see..."

"When I had my epiphany, and realised that I wanted to be a Freedom Fighter again, she was nothing but supportive. I wanted her to come with me, I mean, she's family..."  
"I know a lot about trying to recover from the sins of parents." Sally sighed.  
"Yeah... Anyway, she said that she couldn't come with me because of her past. I didn't know much about that, but she seemed honestly remorseful about it. Then she told me that she'd consider herself a terrible mother if she stopped me from chasing my dreams. She told me that she'd turn over a new leaf, and try and do some good, that she'd call me and maybe even visit occasionally. I mean, everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

Fiona waited for a reaction, but none came. Sally simply kept writing. Fiona gulped, and continued speaking. "Well, she said that she loved me, and helped me pack my things, even bought me a new hoverbike to make the journey with."

Sally kept writing, before clicking her pen, the nib retracting. She looked at it for a few moments., then sighed. Fiona tensed- had she said something wrong. The squirrel pressed a button on the desk, and Nicole appeared beside her, taking the list and looking it over. Sally turned her chair around, and started to whisper to her, leaving Fiona to wait in silence, eyes flicking around to room , examining the décor to try and keep herself calm, until finally, Sally's chair spun back to face the front again.

"I've made my decision." She said. Fiona gulped, gripping the armrests of her own chair, staring straight at the squirrel. After a few moments, Sally smiled, and stood up. "You're a good person, honest, bright, and able to see the good in people, even if others couldn't. I hated Nic for a long time, but you apparently brought out a softer, caring side to her. But the thing that stuck out to me most was the last thing you said: "Everyone deserves a second chance". I couldn't agree more, Fiona. A lot of the potential recruits we get these days are soldiers from my Father's army, who jump ship for a chance to hang around with Sonic. They'd gladly shoot anyone we came up against, and with some, okay, that's not what we're about, but I can see why. But with others, it's unacceptable. You've got compassion, Fiona, and that's something the new blood have been sorely lacking."

"So, what you're saying is..."  
"Welcome to the Freedom Fighters, Fiona Fox. Your training begins tomorrow. Have something to eat, pick a hut, and get a good night's sleep. I'm sure the others will be pleased to meet you."

"Oh, thank you!" Fiona jumped up, and excitedly shook Sally's hand, before realising what she was doing, and quickly letting go and stepping back. "Sorry..."  
"No need to apologise, it's quite alright." Sally replied. "Nicole, let's give her the whole tour, shall we?"

***

One week later...

Nic dropped her bag on the new couch. After Fiona left, she had used some of her ill-gotten gains to purchase a new apartment, deciding that a change in attitude and objective required a change of scenery.

She walked over to the dresser, and picked up a double photo-frame, both of them showing herself with Fiona. The first image had been taken just the week before, using their camera's timer. They were hugging each other, beaming into the lens. The second was taken by one of her former team-mates, when she had not long nursed Fiona back to health. The vixen was much smaller then, and sat across Nic's lap as they embraced.

The weasel smiled, touching the photo for a moment, before putting it down, and heading to pack away her things. She had made it half way to the bedroom when the phone rang sharply. She turned, mid-step, and picked up the receiver.

"Yello?" She asked, slumping onto the couch. The voice on the other hand sounded gravelly, but something was off. It sounded a little forced.  
"Is this Nicolette Weasel?"  
"Depends who's asking."  
"I've got a job for her. If you're her, you might want to listen."  
"Before we go any further, you're not a mad scientist, warlord, tyrant, or anything of that ilk, are you?"  
"No, not at all."  
"Okay then, what's the job?" Her method for determining the intentions of her client were not foolproof, but she could easily renege on any deals she made. It was hard to argue with someone pointing a high-powered rifle at you, after all.  
"It's quite challenging. I need you to go to the Great Forest, and seek out Knothole... Then I want you to wait on the hill above the village. I will meet you there at about one PM in three days time- about as long as you should take to find it. Then, you will have to complete your task."  
"Which is?"  
"You must..." The faceless client paused, before she heard the sound of something clicking, and someone clearing their throat. They spoke again, and this time, the voice was instantly familiar. "Give me a hug, Nic"

"Fi?" Nic gasped. "Oh, damn, I wasn't expecting to hear from you just yet!"  
"Well, here I am." Fiona replied.  
"How did it go?"  
"I made it! I'm a Freedom Fighter now!"  
"Oh, sweetie, that's great!" Nic beamed. "I knew you'd do it."  
"Yeah, you said I'd do good..."  
"So, what are your new friends like?"  
"Oh, they're great. Okay, so Sally was a little scary when I met her, but now, we get on fine."  
"Whoa, back up a second. Think about what you just said. You're on first-name-basis with a Princess. You "get on fine" with a _Princess_."  
"Actually, anyone she knows and doesn't dislike is on first-name-basis with her, she's not one for titles and all that stuff."  
"Still, it's damn cool, Fi."  
"True, true."

"So you want me to swing by so that you can have a hug?"  
"Partially. Sally wants to meet you and talk to you about some stuff, after I told her what you were like with me. It'll just be you, me, her, and Nicole, her assistant."  
"You think I should come?"  
"Yeah, it might help you get on her good side faster."  
"I suppose... Alright, then. I'll be there. Three days, right?"  
"Right. It took me about that much time to find my way here, and we've got a couple of important missions tomorrow and the day after." Fiona replied.  
"Well, good luck with those."  
"Thanks, Nic. See you soon?"  
"Yeah, see you soon."  
"Bye then."  
"Wait, before you go..."  
"What is it?"

Nic smiled, even though Fiona couldn't see her, and looked over at the photo frame.  
"I want you to know that, even if I miss having you by my side, I couldn't be prouder of you, and I mean that. You made it, sweetie. You got your dream."  
"Thank you..." Fiona replied. Even when she was out of sight, Nic could tell that Fiona was beginning to cry. "I love you, Mom."  
"I love you too, Fiona."


End file.
